Upper-pulling mechanism.



P. J. WENTWORTH.

UPPER PULLING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED 11.14.1911. RENEWED 05c. 11,1911.

L, 1 39 61. 30 1 1 Patented. May 18, 1915.

PEARL J. WEN'I WORTH, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOB TO UNITED SHOEMACHINERY COMPANY, OF PATERSON,

JERSEY.

Application filed April 14, 1911, Serial No. 621,104.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PEARL J. WENTWORTH, a citizen of the United States,residing at Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts,have invented certain Improvements in Upper-Pulling Mechanisms,

, of which the following description, in con nection with theaccompanying drawings, is a specification, like reference characters onthe drawings indicating like parts in the several figures.

This invention relates to apparatus for use in the manufacture of bootsand shoes, for pulling an upper on a last and is herein shown by way ofexemplification as embodied in a tip puller for use in connection withpulling-over machines of the type shown in lnited States Letters Patent($63,777 although certain broad features of the invention are applicablegenerally to means for pulling an upper on a last. Referring first tothe field of utility for which the illustrated construction has been designed, it is frequently necessary before pre senting a shoe to thepulling-over machine,

on account of the short length of the uppers, and generally desirablefor good shoe makin g, to draw the upper as a whole forwardly, therebysetting the heel portion of the upper upon the last. It has been thecustom of many operators to spindle the last and, with the shoe thensupported sole uppermost, to pull the upper at the toe forwardly by handpincers. This is a comparatively 4 slow and troublesome operation and isoften neglected by operators when it should be performed.

The broad object of this invention is to improve upper gripping orgripping and pulling means generally wherever the principle of thisinvention is applicable and more specifically the object is to provide atip puller which shall be so convenient to use that the tip pullingoperation shall not be a burdensome one to the operator and a pullerwhich shall, produce better results than have been obtained by the oldpractice and whichconsists in'a machine for gripping and pulling anupper on a last comprising relatively movable gripping jaws and meansfor causing closure of the jaws to be effected which is arranged so thatit can be operated by the last, as, for example, pressure of the lastbottom, with or without provision whereby further pressure or ful-Speciflcation of Letters Patent.

frees the shoe from the tip NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEWUPPER-FUELING MECHANISM.

Patented May 18, 1915.

Renewed December 11, 1911. Serial No. 665,027.

cruming of the last over said means may be made to effect pulling of thegripped upper between the jaws and the last.

A more specific feature of the invention is found in a tip puller thatcan stand upright upon the bench of the machine, to which it ispreferably fastened, with its aws opening upward and forward toward theoperator, so that the top or toe of the upper can be readily thrust intothe puller and seized with the top of the shoe in plain view, so thatthe effect of the stretching can. be observed.

A further feature of the invention consists in arrangements such asthose hereinafter described or their functional equivalents forautomatically closing the jaws and eflectmg pulling of the upper simplyby pressure of the shoe and as shown this fea- These parts are soarranged and constructed,

as will more fully appear from the detailed description and thedrawings, that the operator can grasp the shoe over the instep, as he isaccustomed to do for presenting it to the pulling-over machine, andwhile presenting it to the tip puller and rocking the last to stretchthe upper can hold the upper against the top face of the lastover theball with his forefinger to maintain the upper in lengthwise stretchedposition while he puller and presents it to the grippers of t epulling-over machine. He can thus, with a single series of movementsrequiring the use of only one hand, pick up the shoe, pull the tip andhold the upper forward'on'the last until. it is seized by the jaws ofthe machine. Also he can observe thepreliminary pulling and see that thetip seam is not bowed or pulled so that it will be bowed in the pullingmachine." The fixed jaw of the tip puller is formed on anarm to whichthe other jaw is fulcrumed and whichis pivoted to a base for adjustmentof the jaws into different more important details of construction of theillustrated embodiment of the invention will now be described inconnection with the drawings and then be pointed out in the claims.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the tip puller with a shoe held inposition thereon; Fig. 2 shows the same shoe being presented, withoutrelease of the operators grip thereon, to the pulling-over machine.

The tip puller, as shown, comprises a base 2 adapted to be fastened tothe usual workmans bench of a pulling-over machine. From the base risestandards 4 between which the arm 5 is mounted on a pivot pin 6..

The lower end .of the arm has a bolt hole by which it can be secured inadjusted relation to either one of a series of holes 8 arranged in anarc in one of the standards. Above the standards the arm 5 is extendedand shaped to form the normally stationary or fixed jaw 10 which isprovided on its upwardly and rearwardly inclined face with backwardlydirected teeth or serrations. The

arm 5 is recessedfrom front to rearto receive the jaw 12 which ispivoted at 13 and extended upwardly and rearwardly over the jaw 10. Jaw12 is also preferably extended] farther to provide the finger 15 abovethe gripping faces of the jaws to facilitate theentrance of the upperinto the jaws when the shoe is thrust toward them for the purpose ofhaving the tip seized. Jaw 12 also has an arm 16 extending from thepivot pin rearwardly under the shoe to receive pressure from the shoe toclose the jaw 12 upon the upper. A fulcrum block 20 is mounted on thearm 16 and can be secured in adjusted position with reference to thejaws by a binding screw 22. As shown, the fulcrum block can slide onthearm 16 for adjustment. A spring 24 holds the jaws normally open.

In use the operator picks up the assembled shoe from the rack, graspingit about theinstep or waist, and can with one hand thrust it forwardlyuntil it engages the finger 15 and then downwardly until the tip of theupper is guided into the jaws and the shoe bottom engages the fulcrumblock, and by rocking the arm 16 downwardly causes the upper to beseized without any special attention from the operator. Further downwardpressure after the upper is seized causes the shoe to rock about thefulcrum block 20 and the upper. to be pulled in proportion to thepressure applied. The force applied may lever to tension the upper.

be considerable and it is contemplated that the machine shallbe securedto a bench or other rigid support, the last being used as a The operatorwatches the progress of the stretching and, while continuing it to thedesired extent, avoids bowing the tip seam. He can also, by turning thelast to the left or the right, straighten the tip if it is 'aslant onthe last. In this way -the shoe can be so prepared for presentation tothe pulling-over machine that the adjustments and other manualmanipulation to secure proper pulling over are reduced to a minimum. Theoperator rocks the shoe to pull the upper with his fore- -finger on thetop of the shoe adjacent to the tip seam, and by this finger clamps thepulled upper to the last and then, lifting the shoe to cause the pincersto free the tip, carries the shoe upwardly to the gripper jawsand sole.rest of the pulling-over machine. It will be noted that only a singlehandling of the shoe, in fact a single seizing of the shoe and acontinuous series of'movements of it which can be conveniently effected,is required in transferring the shoe from its rack to the jaws of thepulling machine,

and that'during this procedure the tip is pulled more effectively andbetter than by the relatively slow and awkward method of spindling theshoe sole uppermost andpulling the tip byhand pincers. The arms 5 can beadjusted into that one of the holes -8 which will bring the jaws at theright height for the individual operator to position the shoe in thejaws and rock it most conven- 'iently and the fulcrum block 20 may beadjusted to give the desired leverage.

Preferably and as herein shown the jaw 10 which engages the lining hasteeth faced inwardly, and the other jaw 12 has interlocking teeth thatface outwardly. This reduces liability of scarring the upper whileinjury to the lining is not to be feared. The, guide 15 has its workingface in the plane of the teeth on jaw 12 or in a plane even a littlecloser to jaw .10. By making the guide with its working face as high asthe teeth on jaw 12 liability is reduced of the edge of the tip catchingon the outwardly faced teeth as might otherwise occur in quicklyinserting the work.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent of the United States is 1. Means for pulling an upperon a last, having in'combination, a fixed jaw, a pivoted jaw having afinger extending above the fixed jaw and against which the end of theshoe may be abutted to guide the upper between the jaws, and meansthrough whlch movements may be had to close the jaws and to pull theupper.

2. Apparatus for pulling an upper, having, in combination, a basearranged to be secured to a support, a gripper jaw fixed thereon, acooperating gripper jaw pivotally supported by said base and movableagainst the fixed jaw to seize an upper, and means connected with thepivoted jaw and arranged to be engaged by the shoe to effect upperseizing movement of the pivoted jaw by force transmitted from the shoethrough said means. I

3. Apparatus for pulling an upper on a last, having, in combination, abase arranged to be secured to a support, a gripper jaw thereon, and acooperating gripper jaw pivoted relatively to the base jaw and having arearwardly extending arm provided with a shoe bottom resting face toreceive pressure from the last to swing the arm to close the aws.

4. Apparatus for pulling an upper on a last, having, in combination, abase arranged to be secured to a support, a lower gripping jawstationary relative to the base, and an upper jaw movable toward thefixed jaw and having an operating arm extending at a substantial angleto the gripping face of the upper jaw and upon which a shoe can berested to effect closing of the jaws and which is formed to permit thelast that is within the shoe to be fulcrumed thereon to pull the upperbetween the jaws and the last.

5. Apparatus for pulling an upper on a last, having, in combination, abase arranged to be secured to a support, a stationary jaw thereon, acompanion jaw pivoted to the base and having an angular arm, and a shoerest on the arm substantially as and for the purpose described.

6. Apparatus for pulling an upper-on a last, having, in combination, abase, a stationary jaw on the base, a companion jaw pivoted adjacent tothe stationary jaw and having an angular arm, and a shoe rest on thearm, said rest being adjustable from and toward the jaws.

7. Means for, pulling an upper on a last, having in combination, a base,an arm having a aw at its upper end and angularly adjustable in the baseto change the plane of the jaw, a second jaw pivoted to the first one,and means to actuate the second jaw.

8. Means for pulling an upper on a last having gripping jaws, a toe endabutment to be engaged by an endwise movement of the shoe, and a jawoperator to be actuated by downward pressure of the shoe.

9. Means for pulling an upper on a last having gripping jaws, a toe endabutment to be engaged by an endwise movement of the shoe, and a jawoperating lever to be actuated by downward pressure of the shoe,

said lever having a fulcrum rest about which "the shoe can be rocked topull the upper between the jaws and the last.

to 10. Means for pulling an upper on a last,

having in combination, a base having standards, an arm pivoted betweenthe standards with its lower end adj ustably secured in the base andhavinga gripping jaw on its upper end inclined more or less to thevertical according to the adjustment of the lower end of the arm, agripping jaw pivoted to the upper portion of the arm and having an.

arm extending substantially at right angles to the gripping face of thepivoted jaw, and a fulcrum rest adjustable on the arm toward and fromthe jaws.

11. A tip puller for a pulling-over machine having a base, a fulcrumrest in position to receive a shoe with its sole down and its top facebefore the operator, a gripping jaw connected with said rest foroperation by pressure of the shoe,-and a rigid jaw on said base andbetween which and the movable jaw the tip of the upper is gripped by thepressure of the shoe and pulled by rocking of the shoe on the rest, saidparts being arranged to enable the operator to clamp the pulled upper tothe last adjacent to the tip seam by the forefinger of the hand thatgrasps the shoe, to release the shoe, and to lift it with the upper soclamped into the pulling-over machine.

12. Means for pulling an upper on a last, having in combination, twojaws arranged for operation to seize the work, one of said jaws having atoothed gripping face and a guide located relatively to said toothedface to facilitate the insertion of the tip and having its working faceadjacent to the toothed surface of the jaw as high as the teeth toprevent the work from catching as it is inserted.

13. Means for pulling an upper on a last comprising a base arran ed tobe secured to a support, a jaw rigid t erewith, a movable jaw, and meansfor causing closure of the jaws arranged to be operated by the shoe.

14. Apparatus of the class described having, in combination, a grippingjaw, means arranged to be secured to a support and by which said jaw maybe fixed in position, a rest for a shoe bottom movable relatively tosaid jaw by the shoe, and a second jaw operatively connected with saidrest to be moved thereby to grip the upper of a shoe pressed against therest.

15. Apparatus of the class described having, in combination, a grippingjaw, means arranged to be secured to a support and by which said jaw maybe fixed in position, means arranged to serve as a rest for engagementby the bottom of a shoe on a last and formed to permit the shoe to betipped upon it as a fulcrum, said resting means being movable relativelyto said jaw in response to pressure of the shoe that is rested thereon,and a cooperating jaw operatively connected to said resting means formoveping engagement with the upper by the pressure of the last on theresting means as the last is tipped away from the jaws to stretch theupper.

16. A pincer formed for attachment to a work bench and comprising aforwardly and upwardly extending jaw with a gripping face on its rearside and adapted to extend between a last and an upper on the last, arest which is located for engagement by'the bottom of the shoe sopresented to said jaw, is mounted to permit downward movement by theshoe pressed against it and is arranged to allow the shoe to be rockedupon it, and an outer jaw operatively connected with said rest formovement thereby to engage the outer side of the upper and grip itagainst the inner jaw and hold the edge of the upper while the last isrocked to stretch the upper between the jaws and the last.

17 Means for pulling an upper on a last comprising relatively movablegrip ing jaws adapted to receive the margin 0 an upper when the shoe ispresented thereto in the hand of a workman, means comprising an anglelever one arm of which is formed as one of the jaws and the other arm asa sole rest against which the shoe may be pressed to efiect closingmovement of the jaws and about which the shoe may be turned to tensionthe upper on the last, and a jaw carrying base arranged to be secured toa support and by which the jaws, are mounted in position for thedescribed presentation and manipulation of the shoe.

18. Means for pulling an upper comprising a sustaining member arrangedto be sesured to a support, relatively movable jaws connected with saidsustaining member, and

yond the gripping face of the outer jaw and against which the last maybe steadied n proper longitudinal position while the aws are beingclosed upon the upper. 20. Apparatus of the class described, havlng, 1ncomblnation, a rest to be engaged by the sole face of a shoe, and jawshaving roughened gripping faces extending at an oblique angle to thesole engaging face of the rest for engagement with the edge of an upperloosely applied to a last, the jaw engaging the outer finished side ofthe upper leather having a non-abrasive upward extension beyond itsgripping face arranged to guide the work into position to be operatedupon.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence 0 two subscribing witnesses.

PEAR-L J. WENTWORTH.

Witnesses.

ARTHUR A. RUSSELL, HERBERT W. KENWAY.

